The Coffee Shop in Makati that Serves Interesting Coffees

 

In San Antonio, Makati is a coffee shop called The Black Bean hidden in Eton West End Square. My friend, Mai and I decided to visit, after seeing the photos of the nice interiors from Preview. Yes, we're the kind of folks who like IG-worthy interiors. Reservations are required for this coffee shop. 

The Black Bean PH has two branches, the other located in BF Homes Paranaque, and turns out, the photos of that branch were the ones showcased in the article. We realized that when we got there because the Makati branch is smaller. 

Inside The Black Bean 

Black Bean sports off white and brown colors with touches of green courtesy of the plants displayed inside. It's rocking an industrial look for its space. It's definitely far from the photos we saw but it's got a charm of its own.  

We went here for brunch and there were only two other customers in the cafe when we got there. I think the fact that it's in a mall that's hardly got other retail businesses helps with that cozy ambiance. So if you want to relax or work in peace, you can do that here. You won't be disturbed. 

What We Ordered

Mai ordered the Longganizsa Duo from the Breakfast Bowls while I tried one of their mains, Chicken Parmigiana with a side order of rice. Its two kinds of longganisa are sweet and garlicky Filipino style from Imus, Cavite. Mai liked the big serving and found it delicious.  

Longganisa Duo, Php270.00

Chicken Parmigiana, Php350 

My chicken parmigiana didn't come with rice so I ordered one. Just like Mai's, my orders had a big serving - yes including the rice which I wasn't able to take a photo of anymore. Too excited to eat! I also liked my chicken parmigiana. Even though it had a hint of spice, which I'm usually not crazy about, I was able to finish this off. 

The One of a Kind Coffees

Mai also wanted to try The Black Bean because of their unique coffees. 

Mai ordered the meringue cappuccino. When she showed a photo of this to me, I initially thought it was dessert. But yeah, it's coffee! Looks good, doesn't it?  

 

Meringue Cappuccino, Php220 

She certainly thought it was good. No need for sugar in the cappuccino. The meringue already brings on the sweetness. 

Hey Love! XX, Php220

As for me, well, I was initially going to try their Spanish Latte but I certainly thought their Coffee Temptations selection was worth a try. So I ordered Hey Love! XX, which is cream cheese foam and iced black coffee. I love cream cheese - that's what sold this coffee to me. Didn't disappoint! 

Verdict

Overall we enjoyed our stay at The Black Bean. If I lived nearby this area, I'd certainly be back because of the ambiance and good food. If you want to read up about The Black Bean Cafe, check out this article from Spot.ph. 

1120 House: A Respite from the Chaos of the Metro

The Omicron surge started to decline by the last week of January and with all of us finally with our 3rd vax shot, we were able to make plans to go out again. We dined at 1120 House. 

It was Mai who discovered the place, browsing through Instagram last year. We wanted to originally celebrate our Christmas/New Year friends get together there but the restaurant was full on the date we intended to go. You need a reservation to dine in. 

It is such a posh restaurant tucked away by Rockwell, Makati! 

First, its location will require you to have a car or cab to get to it. Well, you can ride the jeep by Guadalupe MRT station (north side) but you still would have to walk to get to Rockwell.    

And the restaurant itself is gated and guarded. 

Our reservation was at 1PM. But we had to wait a few minutes past because our table wasn't ready. The previous customers sitting at our table refused didn't want to leave just yet since one of their companions got there later than their reservation time. The restaurant didn't have a choice but to prepare another table for us. 

IATF guidelines under Level 3 is 30% dine-in capacity only. Some people can be so entitled. But also I think the restaurant should be stricter with their reservations., perhaps imposing a cap for AM/PM reservations to avoid having to ask customers to vacate the table. 

Anyway, we were seated at the lanai area of the restaurant which worked out nicely for us. We thought that the area was really nice. 

The Interiors

I love the big windows that let the natural light in and the rattan and solihiya chairs.  

It was so nice I got my outfit taken on the side when the customers on that side left. Lucky for us it was a sunny afternoon so the natural light really added charm to the place.

This Preview article describes the place so well! 

What We Ordered

So yeah, the place looks nice and fancy. But is the food? Here are what we ordered for lunch. 

Roasted chicken with mashed potato and grilled veggies 

 

Chicken Galantina 

 

Mushroom Alfredo 

They're all delicious. The mushroom alfredo was creamy and had plenty of mushrooms. It's good they didn't skimp on that as some restaurants do. The chicken galantina was good but it's not a standout dish. And finally, the roast chicken with mashed potato, also delightful to eat as the chicken was juicy. the mashed potato was tasty and the veggies were grilled well. 

I had the roast chicken and I liked my dish so much! Only I didn't get to finish it. The waiter took it away when he served the dessert. He probably thought I was done and I didn't get the chance to stop him since I was busy looking for the wet wipes in my bag at that time. I was trying to prove to my friend that I was no slob and that I bring along wipes whenever I could. 

I didn't dwell on that too much since the dessert we ordered made me forget all about it. 

      

We had the dark chocolate cake and crepe samurai. Originally, we wanted to order a cheesecake for dessert originally but that wasn't available. The waiter recommended the crepe samurai. One bite of its sweet glory washed away my disappointment of not being able to finish my entree! 

If you're looking for a quiet place where you can enjoy a delicious meal with your friends just for a couple of hours, 1120 House is worth considering.   

1120 House

Metropolitan Compound, Amapola corner Estrella Streets,

Makati City 

Operating Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily